Guided missile technology has advanced to increase the lethality of weapons and advance the protection of those firing the weapon. “Fire-and-forget” is just one of the evolving methods of missile guidance. The military uses the term “fire-and-forget” for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch and can hit its target without the launcher being in the line of sight of the target. This may be a desirable property for a projectile to have, since a user or vehicle that lingers near a target to guide the missile (e.g., using a laser designator to paint the target) is vulnerable to attack and may be unable to carry out other tasks. Other advances along these lines (e.g., lock-on-before-launch, and/or the like) further expand this arena of technology.
Guided rockets have conventionally relied on a thermal battery with an inertial switch for their guidance needs. In these batteries, the electrolyte is usually stored separately from the electrodes which remain in a dry inactive state. The battery is generally only activated when it is actually needed by introducing the electrolyte into the active cell area and elevated to high temperatures by the application of heat from an external source. Though this process happens quickly, due to the speeds associated with rocket firings, every fraction of a second makes a significant difference in the arming and targeting of the rocket. This delay in battery readiness leads to shortened target acquisition time and increased firing distances.
Thermal batteries experience very little leakage over their lifetime, but are generally only rated for ten years of storage; however, desired storage needs typically exceed 15 years in many applications. Accordingly, there exists a need for a system design that overcomes these and other deficiencies associated with the prior art.